The program will not cost taxpayers a dime, and the state is not making any money, either.

So why is the privately held company willing to foot the bill?

A contract agreement provided to Syracuse.com by the New York Comptroller's Office provides details about how much the company will charge inmates.

DOCCS officials also provided details of how much JPay expects to generate from purchases on the tablets over the five-year life of the contract.

One detail the contract does not disclose, however, is how much profit the company expects to make. The following figures just show how much money will be generated by the purchases made by inmates or their loved ones.

It does not say how much JPay is spending on the program overall.

The following slides give details of how much inmates will have to pay for products like email, music, audiobooks and video conferences with their loved ones outside of the prison.

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$8.8 million expected over five years

A contract agreed to in August 2017 for "kiosks and other inmate services" contains details about the rollout of the tablet program.

Before inmates can receive the tablets, the company will revamp the prison system's entire commissary account structure, creating a more-efficient commissary and accounting system. One other impact on inmates' bank accounts is that they will leave prison with a debit card containing their remaining account balance.

Currently, inmates leave prison with a check, which officials said can be more cumbersome and costly to inmates.

The $8.8 million figure represents how much money JPay expects to make from purchases inmates make on their tablet devices, a DOCCS official said.

The amount is "based upon optional content and services that incarcerated individuals will be able to purchase in addition to the content and services being provided free of charge."

Educational materials will be free, and the tablets will also make it easy for inmates to file grievances against officers and acquaint themselves with the Prison Rape Elimination Act.

The JPay5 devices -- 7-inch tablets -- sell for about $100 apiece in other states, according to the contract records, though it is not clear how much they cost JPay to build. There were 52,245 inmates in state prisons as of March 2016.

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JPay contract

Selling "stamps," even for emails

Inmates will be charged for every email they send or receive, and they'll be charged additionally for attachments. It works like this:

One "stamp" costs $0.35 and permits inmates to write an email of up to 5,000 characters. Inmates can only send emails when they've hooked up to kiosks, also provided by JPay, that are sent over a secured network.

An example of an indoor kiosk, provided in the contract, is pictured above.

If prisoners want to send attachments like a picture, that's one stamp. If they want to send a picture and a card, that's two stamps. And if they want to send a 30-second "video gram," that's four stamps.

Inmates can buy stamp "bundles" at various rates, with a 60-stamp bundle costing $15.

The contract with JPay also includes a "video conferences" that would cost $8.99 for every 30 minutes. However, a DOCCS spokesman said there are currently no plans for such a service for inmates.

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JPay website

Music, eBooks, games and more

The prices for inmates to buy optional entertainment vary quite a bit, but they still are about double the cost of products downloaded outside prison walls.

The prices ranges are as follows, according to the contract:

Song: $1 to $2.50

Album: $2 to $46*

Game: Free to $7.99

Movie and movie rental: $2 to $25

eBook or audio book: $0.99 to $19.99

*It's not clear from the contract why an album would cost so much.

An example of the apps and products available is pictured above on the JP5 7-inch tablet, which is what inmates in New York will receive.

JPay expects to generate about $8.8 million from these purchases by August 2022, according to DOCCS.

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Costs for banking with JPay

In addition to charging for downloads, the company also charges for transfers to inmates' accounts from their relatives and other loved ones.

The charge varies depending on the amount of the deposit and whether it is made via phone or online. It is steepest for small amounts over the phone and limited to $300.

For example, a deposit of $20 over the phone will cost an additional $4.15, or more than 20 percent of the amount transferred.

The pricing structure is below:

Costs for transferring money with JPay

Amount

Online

Phone

$0 to $20

$3.15

$4.15

$20.01 to $100

$6.15

$7.15

$100.01 to $200

$8.15

$9.15

$200.01 to $300

$10.15

$11.15

Source: JPay contract

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JPay product

Data-mining for criminal networks behind bars

Corrections officials can use the devices and the accounting network for criminal investigations, as well, according to JPay.

JPay's so-called "Intel System" is used by some corrections agencies for "profiling, fraud detection, surveillance and criminal investigations."

"Intel teams are given tools to detect networks and relationships that are deemed suspicious and need immediate attention," JPay officials wrote in their contract offer.

It's not clear from the contract, however, if New York is using this product offered by the company.

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JPay says the tablets are also good for inmates and the public at large

Jade Trombetta, a spokeswoman for JPay, said the devices will provide a number of benefits to the corrections department, the public and inmates themselves for the following reasons:

Studies show, the company said, that the more inmates communicate with friends and family while in prison, the less likely the are to return to prison. The tablet makes such communicating easier, the company said.

The devices better acquaint the inmates with technology, making it easier to adapt to it when they are out of prison.

Tablets make digital education easier, and inmates that embrace their education in prison are less likely to reoffend when they are released.

"The majority of incarcerated individuals are released; it's the rehabilitation that happens during their incarceration that really matters," Trombetta said in a statement. "An educated offender has a better chance of making the right decisions and not re-offending once released; thus helping keep communities safer."

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Courtesy NY Assembly

But the new program has received some opposition

The contract with JPay is approved and signed, but that hasn't stopped some state legislators from sharply criticizing the program as an undeserved luxury for the state's convicts.

“I am disgusted that such an initiative would even be imagined,” Clifford W. Crouch, left, (R-Bainbridge) said in a news release. “Prisoners are serving sentences for crimes they committed against society; we should not be giving them gifts that will make their time served easier."

Assemblyman Dan Stec, right, (R-Queensbury) echoed Crouch's concerns, calling the program a "slap in the face to those hard-working, law-abiding taxpayers."